Hinduism is a complex religion that has a variety of beliefs and traditions. In the 19th century, the British had to classify the people living in the Indus River region for census purposes, thus obtaining the name Hindu from the foreigners. Today they prefer to be labeled as "Sanatana Dharma (eternal religion)" (Pg 79). There are many sacred elements that characterize the Hindu religion. The Vedas are considered the religious texts of Sanatana Dharma. However «their origin and their antiquity are still unknown; the Vedas themselves can be examined. It is a venerated collection of ancient sacred hymns consisting of four parts, which appear to have developed over time. The first are the Samhitas, hymns of praise in the worship of deities." (Pg 82) Subsequently the Brahmanas appeared which explained the "symbolic correspondences between the microcosm of the ritual process and the "real world" in which the rituals are performed". ( page 82) The third part of the Vedas is known as Aranyakas; these reclusive people went to the forest to mediate. The last of the Vedas consisted of teachings "of highly realized spiritual masters: known as Upanishads. Vedic devotion centers on fire sacrifice rituals that were created and controlled by the Brahmins. Reincarnation is an answer that fills many with the question "what happens after we die?" Hindus believe that the soul leaves one body and enters another. It is a very rare and lucky thing when a soul is born as a human being. He can take on any life form, however, when born as a human; this gives the soul the possibility to "advance towards its final goal of liberation from rebirth and fusion with the Absolute Reality". (pg. 86) Karma “means action, and also the consequences of action. Every act we perform, and even every thought and desire we have, shapes our future experiences. Our life is what we have made of it. And we ourselves are shaped by what we have done: “As a man acts, so he becomes… A man becomes pure through pure deeds, impure through impure deeds.” We not only reap in this life the good or evil we have sown; they follow us even after physical death, influencing our next incarnation. Ethically this is a strong teaching, because our every move has far-reaching consequences." (p. 87) For